Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) will hold talks with 12 political parties on Thursday as part of its ongoing dialogue ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin will chair the meetings, which will be attended by other Election Commissioners.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, EC officials have outlined that the first session will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, involving the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Bangladesh Congress, Bangladesh Muslim League, National People's Party, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolon, and Jamiate Ulamaye Islam Bangladesh. The second session, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, will include the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BASAD), Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF), and Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM).
EC Secretariat's Director (Public Relations) and Information Officer Md Ruhul Amin Mallik confirmed the schedule for the meetings. In its invitation letter to the political parties, the EC highlighted that the dialogue aims to gather opinions and suggestions from political parties and other stakeholders-including academics, civil society representatives, journalists, election experts, and women leaders-towards holding the election.
Senior Secretary to the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed stated that the discussions will focus on proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), the code of conduct, and overall cooperation for ensuring credible elections. He expressed the expectation that all registered political parties would join the dialogue.
The EC has already conducted meetings with media personalities, election experts, women leaders, academics, and civil society members, whose recommendations have contributed to finalizing the election code of conduct.